Newsboys' strike of 1899

On approximately July 18, 1899, a group of newsboys in Long Island City turned over a distribution wagon for the New York Journal and declared a strike against the papers of Joseph Pulitzer, publisher of the World, and William Randolph Hearst, publisher of the Journal, until prices were rolled back to 50¢ per hundred.[2] The newsboys of Manhattan and Brooklyn were quick to follow the next day.[10]

The newsboys' methods were violent in the early days of the strike. Any man or boy found to be selling the two boycotted papers would be mobbed by a group of strikers, beaten, and his papers destroyed.[11] The newspaper owners paid grown men to sell their papers, offering them police protection, but the strikers often found ways to distract the officers so they could get at the "scabs."[12] Women and girls fared a little better because, as union leader Kid Blink put it, "A feller can't soak a lady."[12]

The newsboys also distributed flyers and hung signs around the city, encouraging people to help them in their cause by not buying the World and Journal.[13]

On July 24, 1899, the newsboys held a city-wide rally at Irving Hall sponsored by state senator, Timothy D. Sullivan. An estimated five thousand boys from Manhattan attended the rally, along with two thousand boys from Brooklyn and several hundreds from other areas of the city.[14]

Many local businessmen and politicians addressed the crowd, including lawyer Leonard A. Suitkin, Frank B. Wood, and ex-Assemblyman Phil Wissig. When the adults had finished speaking, the union president, David Simmons, read a list of resolutions saying that the strike was to stand until the papers reduced their prices, and also calling on the newsboys to adopt non-violent methods of resistance.[15]

Other speeches were made by "Warhorse" Brennan, Jack Tietjen, "Bob the Indian", union leader "Kid Blink",[16] "Crazy" Arborn, Annie Kelly, and Brooklyn union leader, "Racetrack" Higgins.[17] The night ended with a song sung by "Hungry Joe" Kernan.[15]

A floral horseshoe was offered to Kid Blink as a reward for giving the best speech of the evening.

In the days following the rally, the newsboys' tactics changed to be largely non-violent. Even though they were no longer beating people who sold the World and Journal, the strike was still effective because the public was on their side and chose not to buy the papers, even if they were for sale.[18]

On July 26, 1899, the newsboys planned a parade, where as many as 6,000 boys would march, accompanied by a band and fireworks, but this parade never happened due to issues with obtaining a permit.[19]

Newsboys amusing themselves while waiting (1908)

On July 26, 1899, rumors spread among the newsboys that strike leaders, Kid Blink and David Simmons had betrayed the strike and agreed to sell the boycotted papers in exchange for a bribe from the newspaper executives.[20] Both boys denied the charges, but some sources note that Kid Blink wore clothes a bit nicer than usual, indicating the possibility that he may have accepted a bribe.[21] In response to these suspicions, Kid Blink and David Simmons resigned from their leadership positions, Simmons changing from union president to treasurer, and Kid Blink becoming a walking delegate.[22]

That night, Kid Blink was chased through the streets by a group of boys angry about the rumors that he had abandoned the strike. A police officer, seeing the group of running boys, assumed that Kid Blink was the leader and arrested him for disorderly conduct. Kid Blink was given a fine and let go, while a group of newsboys outside the court jeered at him.[21]

After the rumors about Kid Blink and David Simmons' desertion of the strike, combined with their failure to obtain a parade permit, the newsboys' faith in centralized leadership was diminished.[21] Other newsboys stepped up to lead the strikers,[22] but none of them had the same level of power and influence that Kid Blink once had.

On August 1, 1899, the World and Journal offered the newsboys a compromise: the price of a hundred papers would remain at 60¢, but they would buy back any unsold papers. This meant that the boys, who had trouble selling all their papers would not be forced to sell late into the night to avoid taking a loss for the day. The newsboys accepted this compromise, ended the strike and disbanded the union on August 2, 1899.[23]

Boys selling newspapers on Brooklyn Bridge (1908)

The face of the strike was Louis "Kid Blink" Baletti. Kid Blink was 18 during the strike, and was described by papers at the time as an "undersized boy"[25] with red hair and an eye patch over his left eye.[12] He also went by the nicknames “Red Blink,” [25] "Muggsy McGee"[26] and "Blind Diamond."[27]

Kid Blink was a charismatic leader. Several newspapers recorded speeches, which he gave at rallies, one of which reads in part "Friens and feller workers. This is a time, which tries de hearts of men. Dis is de time when we've got to stick together like glue... We know what we want and we'll get it even if we are blind."[28] His speech at the Irving Hall rally won him a floral horseshoe for the best speech of the evening.

Kid Blink was accused of betraying the strike and accepting a bribe to sell the boycotted papers, and though some sources claim he was acquitted of these charges, he still stepped down from his leadership position after being accused.[29]

When he was arrested during the strike, Kid Blink told the police his name was Louis Ballat,[30] but he was likely lying or misheard because his real name appears to have been Louis Baletti.[31]

After the strike, Kid Blink got a job as a cart driver and later as a saloon keeper. He may have also worked as the right-hand man to New York mobster Chuck Connors. He died in July 1913 at the age of 32 of tuberculosis.[32]

Dave Simmons, first president of the Newsboys' union. (1899)

David Simmons was president of the newsboy union at the beginning of the strike, and treasurer in the second half, after he was accused of betraying the strike and was forced to step back from his leadership role.[29] He was twenty-one at the time of the strike and had been selling newspapers since the age of eight. He was also a well-known amateur prizefighter at the local athletic clubs.[22]

Simmons read a list of resolutions at the rally at Irving Hall, which the crowd reportedly found quite boring.[15]

Ed "Racetrack" Higgins[33] was the leader of the Brooklyn union, and was elected vice-president of the general union after Kid Blink and David Simmons were accused of selling out.[34] Higgins was a fixture at the Sheepshead Bay Race Track, and referenced horses in many quotes at the time of the strike.[35]

Higgins was a charismatic speaker, several papers mentioning his use of humor in his speeches to the striking newsboys. Brooklyn Life referred to him as "a born leader of boys, and he may yet be of men."[36] His speech at the rally went off so well that the New York Times said that "If the newsboys present could have had a vote last night, 'Race Track Higgins' could have had any office in their gift."

Morris Cohen was union president after Kid Blink and David Simmons stepped down.[37] Very little is known about him, but a July 20 memo from Joseph Pulitzer's business manager, Don Seitz, named Cohen as the boy, who started the strike in New York City.[2]

Henry "Major Butts" Butler was leader of the Upper Manhattan union after Kid Blink stepped down.[38] He was arrested on July 31, 1899, on a charge of blackmail after telling executives at the New York World that he would not break the strike for less than $600 ($600 in 1900 is roughly equivalent to $21,000 in 2022).[39]

Annie Kelly was one of the few newswomen loyal to the strike, a fact that made her very popular with the striking newsboys, who saw her as "almost a patron saint."[40] She was the only woman to speak at the rally at Irving Hall, after being pulled on stage by a crowd of cheering newsboys, where she told them "All I can say, boys, is to stick together and we'll win. That's all I've got to say to you."[25]